I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 122

< I'll Cheer You On. Righteous One >

The welcoming ceremony for the Austrian delegation ended successfully as planned.

In particular, the handwritten letter from Joseph II, the Holy Roman Emperor, filled with gratitude, was very well received.

This was because the Habsburg royal family, long-time rivals, were bowing their heads, having saved face with France’s help.

The citizens could clearly feel how much France’s standing in the international community had risen, and the nobles were secretly feeling a sense of satisfaction.

“…Hmm, so the Empress is still doing well.”

“Yes. She seems much lighter now, thanks to the annexation of Bavaria this time. This is all thanks to Your Highness.”

Indeed, is stress the root of all diseases?

According to my knowledge, Maria Theresa should have been bedridden by now, complaining of serious health problems.

At the age of 60, she suffered from the aftereffects of smallpox and lung disease, which were said to be the cause of her death.

But strangely, there are no signs of that now.

Perhaps, unlike in the original history, Joseph II did not cause any major trouble. Rather, he successfully annexed Bavaria and dealt a blow to Prussia.

Judging from the timing, Maria Theresa’s health rapidly deteriorated after somehow cleaning up the mess her son had made.

“First of all, it’s a relief that both Emperors are in good health. My wife has been worried a lot lately.”

“Empress Theresa often says she wants to see the Princess. She even told me to bring back a reply to her letter this time.”

“Is that so? If the opportunity arises, I plan to create an official occasion to visit with my wife, so please let her know.”

“Thank you. Her Majesty will be pleased.”

Usually, princesses who marry into France cannot return to their home country until they die.

But Maria Theresa probably doesn’t have many days left to live, so I want them to see each other one last time.

If Marie were to hear of her mother’s death without even seeing her face properly, I can well imagine how she would feel.

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

After sending the Austrian ambassador back, I returned to the drawing-room.

The appointment time was perfectly timed.

The next person I was scheduled to meet was waiting for me.

“Nice to meet you, Your Highness!”

Unlike Austria, the British delegation did not receive a grand welcome.

Still, as a state delegation, the procedures were followed, but the citizens’ reactions were cold.

Still, since France was the victor, there were no direct insults.

But wouldn’t ridicule mixed with mockery be much more painful to the proud British parliamentarians?

“William Wilberforce, thank you for coming all the way here. It’s nice to meet you.”

Originally, it doesn’t make sense for a rookie, first-term member of parliament to request a private audience with me, but he used the signboard of being the Prime Minister’s friend.

If he had brought a letter from the newly appointed British Prime Minister, even the King would have had no choice but to meet him.

Of course, I would have brought Wilberforce into the palace even if that weren’t the case.

“First of all, thank you for taking the time to meet me. Here is a letter of gratitude from my friend Pitt to Your Highness. He said that what he heard from Your Highness here before was of great help to him.”

I don’t remember giving him any great advice, but I read the letter to see what he had written.

As expected, 99% of it was filled with lip service and ceremonial phrases, and only the last part, where he said he would be grateful if I could give some advice to his friend Wilberforce, felt sincere.

Still, since he’s a person who came with the recommendation of the British Prime Minister, not just any other country, I should give him corresponding treatment.

“…It’s amazing that the young man I saw last time has become the Prime Minister of England, and I feel proud for some reason. And seeing that Pitt has written this much, you must be a person with that much ability and value.”

“Thank you for seeing me in a positive light. But…”

Wilberforce glanced around and carefully continued.

“Pitt also asked me to convey his gratitude to the Princess. Since I’m here, I’d like to meet her in person and give her the letter. Would it be an imposition if I had the honor of seeing the Princess?”

“Thank you for being so considerate of my wife.”

Logically, no husband would feel bad if the British Prime Minister politely expressed his gratitude not only to him but also to his wife.

However, to me, who roughly knows what Wilberforce came for, I could see the hidden intention behind it.

-Louis Christian is known in Europe as a devoted husband and is famous for trying to grant his wife’s every wish.

My people have told me this so many times that it’s already a well-known fact.

But am I really that devoted? I think I’m just normal… Well, this is a personal feeling, so let’s put that aside. The important thing is that’s how the world sees me.

So, if they want something from me, it’s only natural that they would try to appease Marie first.

I pretended not to know anything and sent a servant to call Marie.

After a while, Wilberforce bowed politely to Marie, who entered the drawing-room.

“Nice to meet you, Princess. I am William Wilberforce, who was elected as a member of the British Parliament this time. As I’ve heard, no, you are much more beautiful than I’ve heard.”

“Thank you. It’s amazing to hear that the person I met before has become the Prime Minister. But it seems like you’re trying to discuss something important. Is it okay for me to stay here?”

“Of course. I didn’t come here to discuss official diplomatic issues, but only to deliver Pitt’s letter.”

At Wilberforce’s words, Marie looked at me.

I gave her a signal with my eyes to do as she pleased, and she sat down without hesitation.

Once the seating arrangement was complete, I nonchalantly continued the conversation.

For the first few minutes, we talked about simple international trends.

Wilberforce seemed quite surprised that Marie’s knowledge was deeper than he thought.

“…So, I think we should pay attention to changes in the industrial structure in the future. The UK is also gradually increasing production using machines, right? New industries that didn’t exist before are being created, so many things will change.”

“…Yes, well, that’s right.”

“In particular, the UK is seeing this trend the fastest in Europe, so you won’t be able to refer to examples from other countries, right? So, the role of the parliament will be more important than anything else. What do you think, Member of Parliament Wilberforce?”

“Uh…um, yes. Of course, there are some members of parliament who are paying attention to this issue. But Your Highness has a very broad perspective. Usually, noble ladies don’t deal with these topics.”

Marie may not have intended it, but thanks to her, I was able to naturally bring up the topic I was going to bring up in the future.

I’m the type of person who can’t be satisfied unless I have the initiative in the conversation, so I had no intention of waiting for Wilberforce from the beginning.

“My wife has been talking about various topics with intellectuals there since she went to America. When I think about it, that was a really good experience. Right?”

“Yes. That was the first time in my life that I had a free trip.”

“Well…we saw some unpleasant sights before going to the New World.”

Marie’s face slightly hardened as she recalled the scene of the slave auction.

Wilberforce asked with a puzzled look.

“Did you see something bad?”

“You probably know the name, right? Gorée Island, where there is a slave house where black slaves stay before being sold across the Atlantic.”

“Ah… …!”

Wilberforce is a person who has devoted almost his entire life to abolishing slavery.

If the flow of the conversation goes like this without him even bringing it up, he can’t help but feel that it’s an opportunity given by God.

As expected, he carefully looked at our expressions and asked.

“Your Highness and his wife saw that too. It must have been a sight that no sensible person could ever be happy about.”

Marie nodded slightly.

Wilberforce took a deep breath for a moment and then asked us again.

“Your Highness. I heard that Your Highness used to own a large amount of shares in a slave trading company until recently, but you have disposed of them all. If it’s not rude, may I know the reason?”

“It’s simple. I judged it to be a sunset industry.”

“Are you saying that the slave trade will decline?”

“That’s right. Do you have a different opinion?”

Wilberforce hurriedly shook his head.

His expectant eyes were clearly revealing his current feelings.

“Ah, no. But if you don’t mind, what is the basis for your judgment… …”

“The reason why the slave trade was able to flourish was because the European powers were focused on industries that used slaves in their colonies in the New World. But now, Europe is gradually withdrawing from the New World, except for us, France, and Spain. And Nouvelle France [New France] doesn’t have much to do with industries that use slaves geographically.”

“Ah…Nouvelle France doesn’t seem to have a demand for slaves.”

Wilberforce took out something like a notebook and nodded repeatedly, organizing my words.

“Currently, the only places that actively use slaves are the southern United States and Saint-Domingue [Haiti]… Even in the United States, intellectuals are critical of the slave system, so it’s unclear how long it will last. There’s no reason for me to keep holding on to this sunset industry.”

“So, even from an economic point of view, slavery is a setting sun.”

“But you seem very interested in this issue. Do you have a goal to abolish slavery?”

At my question, Wilberforce’s body stiffened.

He was looking around, being extremely sensitive to the issue, but at my gaze, which seemed to know everything, he eventually smiled, which looked like a sigh.

“Yes. I think slavery is an evil practice that should not exist in the world.”

“Isn’t it a consensus in Europe that blacks are not considered people?”

“That doesn’t make sense. They’re just closing their eyes and covering their ears. Just because blacks are inferior to us doesn’t mean they can be enslaved. It’s okay to prohibit marriage or childbirth with whites, but they should at least be treated like human beings.”

“Inferior beings… …”

It was ironic that a person who was talking about the abolition of slavery was making eugenic remarks so naturally, but even this was a very progressive idea in this era.

“There are many comrades in England who share my views. Prime Minister Pitt has also promised to support my cause. But in the current international community, the UK’s influence is limited. But if Your Highness joins us… …”

“You mean the abolition of slavery is not a dream.”

“That’s right! And after hearing Your Highness’s words just now, I felt like my eyes were wide open. If we continue to emphasize that slavery has now lost its economic advantages, rather than simply emphasizing human rights, we can reduce the resistance of many people.”

“Everyone has a desire to look good. If they are convinced that they don’t have to endure a big loss, they will gladly show off their good heart and conscience.”

In fact, the decisive reason why slavery could be abolished in human history is because of changes in the industrial structure.

The United States, which even fought a civil war over the pros and cons of slavery, is a good example.

The northern United States, which advocated the abolition of slavery, was a region that focused on industry as its main industry.

Here, it was more profitable to just roll low-wage workers than slaves who had to be provided with food and lodging and kept for a long time.

On the other hand, the South could not avoid severe damage to the production of cotton and tobacco, which were the basic industries, if slaves were not used.

No matter how much you shout for human rights, the most important thing is ultimately the logic of self-interest.

If Europe continued to make huge profits from slavery and many people were benefiting from it, they would have pretended not to see it and turned a blind eye to the reality of the slaves.

“Your Highness. You don’t have to give me an answer right now. But please remember the miserable 모습 of the slaves you saw on Goree Island.”

“Hmm… …”

In fact, the answer was already decided, but I didn’t give an answer right away.

This was a matter that had been concluded in my head since I heard that Wilberforce was coming.

Considering the long-term benefits of Nouvelle France, there is no merit in maintaining slavery here.

The Great Lakes region, which has now been developed, was the best location for fostering industry on a large scale.

And we can expect a significant influx of population from Nueva España [New Spain, encompassing much of modern-day Latin America] and the United States, which still maintain slavery.

The only place that is producing sugar on a large scale, Saint-Domingue, will be hit hard by the abolition of slavery, but it is a blow that can be sufficiently tolerated when weighed against the benefits of Nouvelle France.

In the first place, the profits from sugar will inevitably decrease as time goes by.

And above all, if we use this trend well, we can accelerate the conflict between the United States and Spain.

This is an opportunity given by heaven.

“Certainly, someone has to cut off this inhumane evil practice.”

As I muttered to myself, not only Wilberforce but also Marie’s face brightened.

“That means you’ll join us… …”

“However, not right now. You must keep in mind that this is by no means an issue that can be achieved in the short term. First of all, the work of persuading people is essential, and they need time to recognize the problem and mature their consciousness.”

“Yes. Of course. I never thought that I could eradicate slavery right away. How many years are you looking at, Your Highness?”

“Well…if I calculate roughly, about 10 years? I think we’ll be able to see tangible results in some way after that much time has passed.”

After that much time has passed, the cities around the Great Lakes will be roughly equipped, and the protagonists of the revolution will have sufficient capabilities.

The military base, which is my only weakness now, will become an even more perfect strength at that time.

“10 years… …”

Wilberforce clenched his fist tightly with a flushed face.

“I understand. Until that day comes, I will also throw my whole body into persuading citizens in England and increasing our comrades even a little bit more.”

“Please do your best. I’ll be preparing in my own way.”

I smiled as kindly as I could and shook hands with Wilberforce.

His hand, which was holding my hand, was trembling slightly with overwhelming emotion.

Yes. Don’t forget that heart, that sense of mission, and burn it with passion.

I’ll keep putting in the firewood.

< I'll Cheer You On. Righteous One > End