I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 62

## The Founding Fathers (1)

Thomas Jefferson.

One of the Founding Fathers and the founder of the Democratic-Republican Party, the predecessor to the Democratic and Republican parties that define modern American politics.

In 1770, he was still a young lawyer, not yet thirty, but already proudly recognized as one of Virginia’s top intellectuals.

Even though I traveled back to the 18th century, I never imagined I would meet Washington and Jefferson in the same place.

I had thought I might meet them separately, one at a time, but seeing them in person was a profoundly moving experience.

America, the undeniable strongest hegemonic power in the modern era.

And I was meeting the key figures who founded that America, one by one.

If my friends or professors from graduate school knew, they would be so envious they’d be doing cartwheels.

Suppressing the excitement that made my heart race after a long time, I focused on the young man’s words and actions.

After receiving the documents from Washington, he asked me before reviewing them.

“Did you say you are Count Lamarche? It may be rude to ask, but has your identity been verified?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Thomas.”

Washington answered before I could say anything.

“Pierre, who introduced him, is a reliable businessman who has traded with several colonies. Besides, he presented a document with the royal seal, so there’s little room for doubt, wouldn’t you say?”

“If the person who introduced him is trustworthy, then I can believe it. I apologize. My caution led me to commit a discourtesy, as I had never heard of Count Lamarche’s name.”

“No, it’s understandable that you’re being cautious before signing a contract, given the nature of the matter and your profession as a lawyer.”

I chuckled as I looked at my name signed on the contract.

Count Zinedine Henri de Lamarche.

It was just a pseudonym I made up on the spot, but somehow it sounds like the name of someone with great influence.

I hope my use of a pseudonym here doesn’t alter these people’s destinies in the future.

Of course, it’s natural that Thomas Jefferson hasn’t heard of the name.

The title of Count Lamarche had been held by the French king since before the North American colonies were even developed.

Even among French nobles, many were confused about where the Lamarche territory was located.

It would be stranger if Jefferson *did* know about Count Lamarche.

“The contents of the French and English contracts are exactly the same. There are no unusual clauses, and legally, there are even more favorable terms for our side.”

Washington’s face brightened at Jefferson’s assurance after reviewing the entire contract.

“Really? Then we should finalize the contract today.”

“But I have one personal question.”

Even with the doubts about my identity resolved, Jefferson still looked at me with suspicion.

“I don’t readily understand why France is showing us such favor.”

“As I said before, it’s also beneficial to me.”

“France lost all its colonies in the New World because of its defeat in the last war [the Seven Years’ War, also known as the French and Indian War]. And we played a significant role in France’s defeat in that war. Is it safe to say that there is no ill will towards us?”

“Thomas…”

Washington tried to stop Jefferson, but he couldn’t hide his curiosity either.

As someone who had directly participated in the Seven Years’ War and made contributions, he might have been even more curious.

It was a question that I didn’t need to lie about, at least not to me, regardless of how other French people might feel.

“From the perspective of the colonists, they were just being loyal to their role, so why would there be any lingering resentment? There may be many people who hate England, but not many here harbor ill will towards you. In the case of the royal family, they are definitely closer to the position I mentioned.”

“I see. Thank you for the candid answer.”

With those words, Jefferson closed his mouth and fell into silence.

It wasn’t that he had lost interest, but rather that he seemed to have too much to ponder to have time to join the conversation.

Washington signed the contract with a wry smile and stamped it with his seal.

“Thomas is usually a bit of a deep thinker.”

“Originally, the more brilliant the intellectuals, the more eccentric they tend to be. I know a few myself.”

“That’s so true. There are many people around me who are so smart that I’m amazed, but sometimes they say strange things. They often talk about castles in the sky.”

As Washington finished signing all the copies of the contract, I took one copy each with him.

Just as I was about to see if there were any points to be supplemented, Washington’s question came.

“By the way, when are you planning to return to France, Count?”

“I haven’t decided yet. But since I’ve come to the New World, I want to see more of it. My wife seems to feel the same way. So I’ll probably be here for at least a few months.”

“Then I’ll do what I can to make your trip comfortable. I’ll assign you a reliable guide so you can sightsee without worry…”

“Count Lamarche.”

Before Washington could finish speaking, Jefferson, who had been lost in thought, suddenly joined the conversation.

As Washington and I turned to look at him almost simultaneously, Jefferson realized he had interrupted and lowered his head.

“Ah, I’m sorry for interrupting. But there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“If it’s something I can do, I’ll listen. What is it?”

“Could you talk to me alone? I’d like to take a walk in the garden here and hear your thoughts.”

Jefferson’s eyes were burning with a strange fervor.

Washington, who seemed to know what he was thinking, couldn’t hide his concern.

“Listen, Thomas…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t talk about unnecessary things.”

“Of course, there must have been deep consideration in what you’re doing, but you still need to be more careful. I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

“…I understand.”

Anyone who didn’t know the circumstances wouldn’t know what they were talking about, but I had a rough idea.

From Jefferson’s point of view, he wouldn’t want to let this meeting with me, a count connected to the French royal family, slip away.

And I didn’t want to miss this opportunity either.

I was already looking for a chance to gauge Jefferson’s intentions, so if he offered a private conversation, I would welcome it.

“I also wanted to talk to Mr. Jefferson, who is said to be one of Virginia’s top intellectuals. I happen to be in the mood for a walk, so shall we go outside and have a quiet conversation?”

“Yes. I come here often, so I know the area well and will guide you.”

Jefferson smiled brightly and got up from his seat.

Washington shook his head as if he couldn’t help it and began to tidy up the table.

“Then I’ll show the Countess to her room when she returns and tell them to prepare dinner. Is there any food you can’t eat?”

“No, there isn’t. If you have time, I’d appreciate it if you could talk to my wife as well. She’s a curious person and has many questions.”

“It would be an honor. I’ll be sure to do that.”

I grabbed a piece of bread to eat while walking and left the mansion with Jefferson.

Washington, who was seeing us off, had a strange tension and a sense of worry on his face.

※※※

“Thank you so much for readily accepting my sudden proposal.”

Jefferson bowed his head several times even after coming outside, apologizing for his rudeness.

“You don’t have to worry about it. By the way, I also have something I want to ask. Have you known Mr. Washington for a long time?”

“Of course. There’s no one from Virginia who doesn’t respect Mr. Washington. I’m one of those people.”

Indeed, if he was the person who was elected commander-in-chief after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he must have been popular from before.

Especially in his hometown of Virginia, it wouldn’t be strange if he was already regarded as an object of admiration.

Just looking at Jefferson’s attitude and tone, you can easily see how much he respects Washington.

“I see. I thought Mr. Washington seemed a little worried earlier, so I wondered if the two of you had different political leanings.”

“In broad terms, Mr. Washington and I think the same way. However, Mr. Washington is cautious and moderate in everything, so he was probably worried that I might be going too far ahead.”

I know that he was 190cm tall and had a reserved and introverted personality that didn’t match his radical claims, but it seems he had a fiery side in his youth.

In the first place, if he didn’t have a burning passion inside, he wouldn’t have been able to devote himself so fiercely to independence.

“By the way, I’d like to hear the reason why you called me out here.”

“Yes. Well, that’s… I don’t know where to start…”

Unlike a little while ago when he resolutely went outside, Jefferson couldn’t open his mouth easily when it was time to start talking.

Since I can guess what he’s trying to say anyway, should I bring up the topic first?

“You probably want to know how closely I’m connected to the French royal family, right?”

“…Yes, to be honest, that’s right… I’m surprised. You have a very good sense.”

Jefferson probably doesn’t even realize it, but I know that he is one of the leading figures in the independence movement within the colonies.

The North American colonies at this time were largely divided into the independence faction and the loyalist faction.

The independence faction, as the name suggests, wanted to become independent from England and take sovereignty into their own hands, while the loyalist faction wanted to expand their rights within the British system while remaining loyal to the crown.

At this time, the independence faction was only a minority, and most colonists dismissed independence as a pipe dream.

However, the Boston Massacre became a turning point.

The independence faction used this incident as a powerful propaganda tool to enormously raise anti-British sentiment within the colonies.

Still, the number of independence supporters was small.

Even George Washington did not believe that independence was truly possible at this time.

So Jefferson was probably worried that he would rashly try to involve me.

Of course, Jefferson, who didn’t expect me to know this background, must have been surprised by my deduction.

“To answer your question first, of course I am connected to the royal family. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been entrusted with the sales rights for the vaccine.”

“I see… then you must be well-versed in the trends of the royal family and the political world. This may be fortunate for us.”

Jefferson took a deep breath and continued.

“Can you tell me how France views the situation in the North American colonies? No matter how objectively I try to see it, I am, after all, a person who was born and raised in the colonies. I may have a biased view without even realizing it. So I wanted to hear an objective opinion at least once.”

“That’s a difficult and sensitive issue. In fact, most French people are biased against England, so they may not be objective either.”

In fact, Jefferson probably isn’t really curious about France’s general opinion.

What he really wants to know is how France will act when a conflict actually breaks out.

“Still, let me tell you one thing: France is deeply interested in the situation on the North American continent. Because England’s policies are going too far.”

“I see that other countries see it that way too. The Stamp Act [an act of the British Parliament that imposed a direct tax on the British colonies in America and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp] was truly a policy that crossed the line.”

“That’s right. These colonies weren’t annexed because they lost a war, but aren’t they lands that their own people pioneered? Besides, they made great contributions in the war. But instead of treating them well, they’re giving them a tax bomb, which isn’t right.”

The Stamp Act enacted by England was, in simple terms, an absurd law that required a 3-penny stamp to be affixed to all paper circulating in the colonies.

In particular, the passage of this law was nothing short of betrayal to the colonists, who believed that they had made significant contributions to the victory of the Seven Years’ War.

This is because it can only be interpreted as meaning that they should pay the fare simply for taking the bus without doing anything.

In Virginia, which was located at the forefront, there was enormous backlash.

Due to the unexpectedly fierce protests, England abolished the Stamp Act in one year, but the colonists still haven’t forgotten this situation.

This is because it was an incident that made them realize how much the home country was ignoring them.

“But the parliament in the home country doesn’t realize what they’ve done wrong at all. Rather, they are imposing various taxes on us under ridiculous pretexts because they resent us for protesting. Even in this situation, I can’t understand those who naively say that we should be guaranteed autonomy within the British system.”

“It’s a kind of resentment. British politicians probably think, ‘How dare colonists try to elevate themselves to the level of the sacred home country?'”

In fact, the decisions made by the British Parliament at this time were a series of blunders.

If they had just accepted a few of the colonies’ demands, such an extreme thing as war would not have happened.

However, England appointed people with strong anti-North American colonies views as foreign ministers and key cabinet members.

It was as if they were showing through their personnel policy that they had no intention of compromising.

As they consistently maintained this policy for years, the independence faction naturally gained power, and the loyalist faction’s position inevitably narrowed.

“I’m surprised that France understood the reality here to that extent. No… maybe it’s natural since it’s the country that knows England best.”

“Yes. Maybe that’s the case. In that regard, let me add one more thing: England is not just looking down on the American colonies.”

“…Yes?”

“According to our own research, the economic power of the 13 colonies has already risen to the point where it is similar to that of the British mainland. If you consider overseas colonies, the difference will naturally widen, but this is still an enormous figure. Maybe even the colonists here don’t know exactly how much power they have.”

The 13 colonies that made up the early United States originally had no awareness that they were linked as the same country.

It is natural that each colony had a separate governor dispatched and had its own parliament.

Therefore, information exchange was a little slow, and they did not know exactly how much economic power and strength they had when they were integrated.

Since they don’t even know about themselves, it’s natural that others don’t know.

Not only England, but also France, the Netherlands, and Spain, none of them properly knew the potential power of the colonies.

That’s not to say that the union of the initial 13 colonies was stronger than England.

However, it is true that the war was prolonged due to the attitude of England, which thought it could be easily crushed in a blitzkrieg, and the miracles that can be said to be heavenly fortune.

I decided to exaggerate this point a little more to encourage Jefferson’s motivation.

“England is secretly afraid of the infinite potential that the colonies hold. If the colonies become richer than the home country, the power relationship will be reversed. That’s why they are suppressing growth through constant checks.”

“They’re not just treating the colonies as a source of money, but they’re trying to suppress growth… that’s certainly a persuasive point of view. Maybe we’ve been underestimating ourselves the most.”

“There are other data as well, but I didn’t enter the country for political purposes, so I’m a little reluctant to discuss it any further. If there’s a chance someday…”

“Count Lamarche. Now that I think about it, it’s been a long day, aren’t you thirsty? Everyone around here enjoys drinking beer, but do you enjoy beer besides wine?”

As I subtly threw out the bait and took a step back, Jefferson grabbed it.

I smiled naturally and nodded.

“Of course I like beer too. Wine has its own taste, and beer has its own taste.”

“That’s a relief. By the way, Sam, an acquaintance of mine from Massachusetts, has several breweries and came here on a tour with the intention of opening one in this area. Why don’t you go and have a drink and talk a little more?”

“Hmm… tasting the local alcohol is one of the joys of traveling, so that’s not a bad idea. Okay.”

“Thank you. The taste of the beer here is amazing, so I’m sure you’ll like it. Haha.”

Just as I readily accepted Jefferson’s suggestion, I reflexively stopped walking.

Thomas Jefferson’s acquaintance and nickname is Sam.

Of course, there is a high probability that he is a member of the independence faction, and if he is from Massachusetts… .

“May I ask what the name of the person who owns that brewery is?”

“Samuel, Samuel Adams.”

Wow, I didn’t expect it to be true?

It’s not like a legendary hometown, but the names that I heard so much about as a history major are really pouring out one after another.

What should I say to express this?

My heart is getting bigger.