I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 19

Verification Meeting (2)

The topic that garnered public attention, perhaps even more than the actual effectiveness of the smallpox prevention method, was whether royal blood truly flowed in my veins.

The judges’ eyes widened at Mofu’s question about whether I truly had royal blood.

Uproar erupted not only from the citizens watching but also from the nobles observing from their privileged seats.

“His Majesty has ordered that the truth of this rumor be investigated first and foremost. Therefore, before verifying the thesis, we must hear a definitive answer on this matter. Louis Christian, speak with your own mouth.”

All eyes fell on my lips.

Mofu stared at me with a stern expression.

I could sense his determination not to miss even the slightest lie, but unfortunately, it posed no threat.

Did he think I would cower under pressure because I was still a young boy?

If so, that was a very naive misconception.

In fact, Mofu might have wanted to use a better method than this.

Perhaps he was acting this way because Louis XV had ordered him to prioritize uncovering the truth above all else.

I understand his feelings.

Isn’t it the life of an agent to be swayed by the decision-maker’s whims and receive no proper reward?

I looked up at Mofu with a hint of sympathy.

Mofu frowned at the unexpected gaze and asked again.

“Do you have nothing to say? Silence will be interpreted as denial.”

“As this is a serious matter, I will cut to the chase and state the conclusion directly. Monsieur Mofu, I swear before God and His Majesty the King that there is not a single lie in my words.”

The noise in the square, which had been bustling, gradually subsided at my words.

“It is an undeniable fact that the blood of the great French royal family flows in my veins.”

The square was instantly filled with silence at the bombshell declaration.

A silence so profound that one could hear an ant crawling.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the conversation between Mofu and me to continue.

“…That statement. Can you prove it?”

Mofu closed his eyes briefly and then reopened them.

He must have expected this would happen, but hoped it wouldn’t.

He probably felt like he was knowingly stepping into a swamp.

“The High Court will prove the truth of my words.”

“Yes, as Master Christian says, our High Court has completed all preparations for the evidence regarding this matter.”

Malesherbes, the son of Chief Justice Blancmesnil and the current Director of Publications, stepped forward.

His voice was gentle and soft, out of place in this commotion.

“Master Louis Christian is certainly the son of the late Crown Prince Louis Ferdinand. His mother sadly passed away in Austria, but our High Court recently discovered and has been protecting Master Christian, who barely survived in the slums.”

“So, the High Court was involved after all…”

Judging by Mofu’s complete ignorance, it meant that only staunch supporters of the court system knew my identity.

It was no surprise that he, who was classified as pro-royalist, had been completely excluded.

“But if that’s the case, why has the court been hiding this fact until now? If the court had announced this fact sooner, this confusion would not have occurred.”

“Naturally, it was because we judged that we should be cautious until the evidence was firmly gathered. Rather, it would have been more problematic if we had uttered such words without solid evidence. We simply chose the best method to avoid causing any harm to the royal family.”

“And that evidence, coincidentally, just happened to be gathered now?”

“To be precise, we also accelerated our investigation due to the rumors that have been spreading recently and barely met the deadline. We are very relieved that we were not too late.”

Mofu gnashed his teeth at Malesherbes’ brazen answer.

“It is the High Court’s responsibility to prevent the media from running wild. But isn’t it dereliction of duty to have left Paris in such a noisy state?”

“That’s a misunderstanding. We also made every effort. In fact, conspiracy theories such as Edward Jenner being a spy sent by England to steal technology quickly subsided, didn’t they? The matter regarding Master Christian’s identity was such a sensitive topic that touching it carelessly would have only fueled the fire further.”

No matter how he tried to find fault, all the loopholes had already been created.

Since there was no clear material evidence in the first place, there was no way to pressure them.

“…The materials submitted by the High Court will undergo rigorous verification, so there must not be even the slightest negligence.”

In the end, Mofu could not continue speaking and sat down, ending with a pathetic warning.

At the same time, the murmuring around him grew louder and louder.

It was a natural reaction, as the rumors that had shaken Paris were now half-confirmed to be true.

“What? If he’s the son of the late Crown Prince, doesn’t that make him the grandson of His Majesty the King?”

“But I remember the late Crown Prince didn’t have any concubines, did he?”

“That’s right. That’s what I remember too.”

“Then what? Does that mean the truth was different from what was originally known?”

Mofu’s expression grew increasingly sour.

Even though he was the deceased Crown Prince, the fact that he was a member of the royal family did not change.

With the current royal family’s popularity already at rock bottom, he must have thought it would be a disaster if the image was further tarnished here.

As expected, Mofu hurriedly urged Joffroy to proceed with the next step.

“Now that this matter is settled, let’s quickly proceed with the thesis verification. Isn’t this a much more important issue than Master Christian’s identity?”

“Yes? Of course, it is. Absolutely.”

Joffroy, who had been nothing more than a background figure until now, suddenly came to his senses and picked up the thesis again.

“Um… so, although it was briefly interrupted due to an unexpected accident, let’s resume the verification. Master Christian’s thesis is theoretically perfect, and the data from the actual farm surveys is also highly credible. However, there has been a criticism that the sample size when applying the cowpox method is insufficient.”

“I am aware of that point. Therefore, I applied the cowpox method to an additional 148 people and obtained meaningful results.”

Joffroy’s eyes widened as he received the data I submitted.

“All 148 people who received the cowpox vaccination showed no noticeable side effects. Subsequently, when injected with smallpox pus, 147 people showed no abnormal reactions. The one person who developed blisters returned to normal after 4 days and did not develop a fever…”

The other judges who reviewed the additional data showed reactions no different from Joffroy’s.

“Why didn’t you submit this together from the beginning?”

“At that time, the results were not yet complete. I am reflecting on whether I was too hasty in wanting to save people suffering from smallpox as quickly as possible.”

In fact, if I had attached this from the beginning, the thesis would have been passed as is.

But if that had happened, I wouldn’t have been able to create this kind of opportunity naturally.

Omitting a certain portion of the data was intentional from the beginning.

I explained to Lavoisier, Guillotin, and Jenner that it was a way to gain more solid trust from the citizens.

It wasn’t a lie.

In fact, if the verification was completed in front of everyone like this, the cowpox method could be accepted much more readily.

“If you have actually vaccinated 148 people and achieved results, there is no more room for doubt. It is much more stable compared to variolation [an earlier method of inoculation using live smallpox virus], so there will be no burden in vaccinating.”

After that, mainly academic questions followed.

It was to find out if I really provided the core concepts of the thesis, and if I perfectly understood the contents.

Even after dozens of minutes of questioning, my answers continued without any hesitation.

I not only answered the questions but also added additional explanations to the insufficient parts.

I also added the church’s guarantee that the cowpox method was consistent with the doctrines of the Bible and was safe.

The bishop who attended the meeting went even further, arguing that it should be designated as the day of a great victory that toppled one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.

I gave them some money, but compared to the benefits this would bring, it was virtually no expenditure.

“…That is all for my answers.”

To summarize all the processes so far, it can be summarized in just three words.

A safe method without side effects, easy to vaccinate, and with definite effects.

The murmuring among the citizens grew even louder.

This time, it was a different kind of anticipation, not the surprise of reacting to a huge scandal like last time.

Joffroy pointed to Jenner’s name, which was listed as the last of the co-authors, and asked.

“Finally, just one more thing. This may not be closely related to the content of the thesis, but we had no choice but to ask because we received so many requests for verification through various channels. Please explain exactly how much the British doctor contributed to this, and if not, why you collaborated with the British doctor.”

It was an openly nationalistic question, but I inwardly rejoiced.

The French people’s feelings towards England, whom they considered an enemy, had deteriorated to the point of near hatred since the defeat in the Seven Years’ War.

Always being pushed around by England and always being second best.

It would be stranger if deep-rooted inferiority did not arise.

Therefore, it was inevitable that they would be uncomfortable with the name of a British person being included in this great achievement.

The glory of eradicating smallpox should be enjoyed solely by France, but it was unpleasant for England to have a foot in the door.

And as I have emphasized many times, exploiting this inferiority to the extreme was the core of my plan.

“In short, I was able to devise the cowpox method thanks to the help of Edward Jenner here.”

Since it was a direct import of Jenner’s achievements from the original history, it was partly true.

Guillotin and Lavoisier, who had heard about it in advance, nodded calmly behind me.

“Are you saying that the invention of this cowpox method is thanks to a British doctor?”

“Yes. England is putting considerable effort into smallpox eradication research, including variolation. I also learned a lot by talking to people from England. Even if it wasn’t me, there was a high possibility that the cowpox method would have come out of England in about twenty to thirty years.”

“…Well, it is true that England is studying a lot, even mastering Eastern medicine…”

“If England had listened more to Jenner here, they might have discovered the cowpox method before me. But fortunately, I was able to approach the truth and achieve results faster than the British government.”

The statement that England could have succeeded in eradicating smallpox before France was definitely effective.

Moreover, depending on how you listen to it, it can be interpreted as me spurring France on to greater achievements.

As if this were a place to be having a test for the purpose of the thesis, the event ended up concluding with a frenzy of patriotism exploding.

As the saying goes, the ultimate high comes from national pride.

This truth, which is effective regardless of East or West, has scored another victory today.