I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 8

The Prodigy (2)

“Jean-Jacques Rousseau… To think I’d meet Rousseau in person.”

The moment Lavoisier spoke that name, I accepted the offer without a second thought.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

A great educator and philosopher France produced.

Considering his origins, he was from Geneva, Switzerland, but he spent most of his life in France and held French nationality, so it’s fair to call him French.

Rousseau’s ‘Discourse on the Origin of Inequality’ and ‘The Social Contract’ caused enormous waves in his time and are considered the ideological pillars of the Great Revolution.

Most surprising is that someone not born into a wealthy family and without proper higher education showed such insight.

He not only denied the divine right of kings with ‘The Social Contract’ but also left many achievements, arguing for the inherent goodness of humanity in ethics.

Even today, you can easily find Rousseau’s name when you look through textbooks.

Distinguishing the differences between Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau’s social contract theories is a common exam question, so it might remain a bad memory for some.

“What would those guys slaving away in the lab think if they knew I was meeting Rousseau?”

I can, of course, predict their reactions.

Not just my friends in the lab, but even that guy, Yong-wook, would be green with envy.

He’d beg me to get Rousseau’s autograph.

That’s what I was planning, so I took a copy of ‘The Social Contract’ that Lavoisier had been hoarding.

Of course, there’s no way I’m giving them the autograph, so this treasure, which will be worth a fortune in the future, will all be mine.

“But why would the nobles of the court suddenly offer such an introduction?”

To broaden my knowledge before entering the academy, as Lavoisier said?

I’m not naive enough to believe such nice-sounding words.

If I’m being really generous, maybe that intention accounts for 5 percent of it.

But there must be another motive.

There were some reasons I could guess.

The nobles of the High Court originally didn’t welcome the strengthening of royal power.

And the king felt the same way.

Logically, the existence of the High Court, which could object to the validity of laws, couldn’t be pleasing.

So, when royal power was at its peak in France, the king always suppressed the court with his authority.

The nobles of the court might be trying to instill in me a mind that denies the divine right of kings by having me meet Rousseau.

Of course, they’d never allow me to accept ideas like a democratic republic.

But even if that’s the case, I won’t grow up according to those old foxes’ wishes, so it’s best to pretend to listen for now.

Meeting Rousseau and talking to him was what I wanted, too.

“We’ve arrived.”

While I was sorting out my thoughts, I arrived at Rousseau’s mansion.

“Good work.”

“Yes. I’ll be waiting outside until the conversation is over.”

The mansion where Rousseau lived was, contrary to his reputation, a very shabby place.

It couldn’t be helped, as he was living cautiously to avoid arrest warrants.

In reality, I heard that he was managing his living expenses with the help of people around him, so he wasn’t living a very affluent life.

It was a slightly sad sight for the final years of a great thinker who is recognized even in modern times.

Of course, there were no servants or butlers in the mansion.

Opening the door and entering, I came face to face with a middle-aged man.

“Ah, you must be Christian? I heard about you from Judge Pierre. I’m always happy to have a bright student as a conversation partner. Welcome.”

As a man who was praised as handsome in his time, his impression itself was very good.

However, perhaps because he had suffered a lot, his hair was completely white now that he was in his mid-50s, and his once handsome face was much deteriorated.

Of course, as long as he had that strange medieval hairstyle, even a handsome face wouldn’t look handsome, but still.

However, the sharpness glimpsed in his eyes had not completely disappeared.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, sir. If you don’t mind, could I get a commemorative autograph here…?”

When I handed over ‘The Social Contract,’ Rousseau chuckled and left his signature on the title page of the book with practiced movements.

“But are you from a noble family?”

“Yes. Well… I guess I’m a noble.”

“Really? That’s surprising. Of course, there are some nobles who like my books, but most of the passionate supporters are from commoner backgrounds.”

Rousseau handed the book back to me and moved towards the shelf.

“I’m sorry, but can I have some coffee before we talk? I can’t get my head to work without it.”

“Caffeine is inseparable from scholars. I understand, of course.”

It was a well-known fact even in modern times how much Rousseau loved coffee.

So much so that there is a saying that his last words were, ‘I can’t hold a coffee cup anymore.’

Seeing such an aspect of him directly in front of me felt somehow amazing.

Rousseau smelled the coffee he brewed himself and sat down with a face that said he was finally alive.

“As expected, coffee from my home country tastes good. Actually, I was in England until recently, but when I was there, my mental state wasn’t that good.”

“I think it’s understandable since you must have had a hard time because of your long-term escape.”

“I think that’s probably it. I stayed at my friend David Hume’s house, but in the end, I caused him quite a bit of trouble. Thinking about it now, I feel a little sorry. But England was really uncomfortable to live in. It’s full of strange guys pretending to be gentlemen, so I have to say I get hives [an allergic skin reaction]? It’s physiologically impossible for me.”

David Hume is one of the most prominent modern philosophers, along with Kant.

It was hard for me to stay calm as names I had only seen in books were mentioned so casually.

Rousseau put the coffee cup on the table and looked closely at my face, then continued speaking as if he was amazed.

“By the way, it’s been a while since I’ve talked to a young master from a noble family, so it feels different. Now, shall we hear your story? Even if you’re a noble, since you came with Judge Pierre’s introduction, you’re not from a hereditary noble family, but from the new nobility, right?”

No.

I’m sorry, but I’m not just a hereditary noble, but someone who will one day ascend to the royal family.

However, Rousseau, perhaps understanding my vaguely smiling reaction as an affirmation, smiled bitterly and poured himself another cup of coffee.

I wonder if he can sleep at night if he drinks that much.

“Um…”

“Ah, don’t worry. I’m not trying to lecture you. I don’t like how the legal nobles selectively take only the parts they want from my theories and apply them as they please, but I have no ill feelings towards young students. Rather, I’m touched that there are students like you who have read my books deeply, even though you’re a noble.”

That’s not exactly what I was going to ask.

Rousseau, who was drinking coffee to the point where I was worried about acid reflux, asked again in a subtle tone.

“But from a noble’s point of view, what do you think of my arguments? It must have seemed like I was denying the class system. That’s why the High Court sentenced me guilty.”

“Isn’t it an inevitable flow of the times? I think it’s a flow that will definitely come someday.”

“Young people often say that. Passionate young people always take it a step further and ask impatiently. So when will the equal world come, and how close is that day?”

“I have a slightly different perspective on that. Because a world where everyone is equal will not come for a long time.”

Rousseau frowned slightly.

“Didn’t you say earlier that it was an unavoidable flow?”

“I did. But that only refers to the abolition of the class system. In fact, the premise of equality for all is vague from the start. David Hume, whom you mentioned, is also a respectable philosopher and ethicist, but he didn’t treat anyone other than white people as proper human beings. You also advocated equality for all, but you said that there was no need to give women proper education or give them the right to vote.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Even the enthusiastic students who support you will all have their own standards of equality. Many will think that only our superior white people should be included in that standard. Even now, many people are openly saying that equality for the blacks in Africa is out of the question. Someone will say that at least women should be included as people, and a very small number of people will think that everyone in the world is equally equal.”

Rousseau was listening intently without interrupting me.

He could have dismissed it as just the thoughts of a child with limited knowledge, but he didn’t.

Perhaps it was because he also established his current theories with insight rather than knowledge.

Even so, it is not easy for a famous scholar of the time to seriously listen to the story of a boy who would be a middle school student in modern terms.

It seemed clear that he was a respectable intellectual.

“So, you think that equality for all is difficult to define and has little chance of being realized?”

“At least the era of complete equality that everyone in this world can agree on will not come even after 200 years.”

“…You’re very sure. Young people tend to jump to conclusions.”

Of course, I have to be sure.

I’ve lived in a world 200 years later than now, so why wouldn’t I know that?

“Of course, if you only look at the abolition of the class system, I don’t think it will take that long. But in some ways, that may be because an element that can distinguish people more intuitively than mere lineage is being highlighted. Why do you think the walls of the class system are getting thinner?”

“It must be because of the spread of knowledge. Because people are increasingly able to recognize that they are in an unreasonable situation.”

“I think so too. But wouldn’t there be a driving force that enabled that knowledge to be disseminated?”

An intellectual like Rousseau will know what I’m trying to say right away.

He nodded and muttered quietly.

“Money?”

“Yes. In this world, the power of money, that is, capital, is becoming increasingly enormous. Even if the wall of class disappears, a new wall to replace it will inevitably be created. Of course, it won’t divide people as extremely as the class system.”

“That’s an interesting point of view. Even if the class system disappears, the class that has accumulated wealth will take the place of the vested interests… That makes sense. But it seems clear that you also believe that the collapse of the class system is inevitable. Even though you’re looking at the world from the perspective of a noble.”

“Yes. The ideological foundation has already been laid, and the system of this country is only accumulating contradictions instead of improving. If you add to that the economic mistakes that burst in the short term, and the droughts and famines, floods, and cold waves, it’s something that could happen even within a few decades, right?”

Rousseau brought the coffee cup to his mouth with a bitter smile on his face.

“So you want to say that it won’t happen in such a short period of time after all.”

“Ah, it might have sounded that way.”

Logically speaking, it’s a really low probability.

What are the chances that a record-breaking fiscal deficit, a failure of economic policy, the irrationality of the tax system, and droughts and famines will all overlap?

Most people, like Rousseau, would laugh and dismiss it as an absurd fantasy.

But that’s what actually happens.

Exactly 22 years later, no more, no less.

By then, I must have a solid background to lead that huge flow to my advantage.

To do that, I must first overcome the difficulties in front of me.

I wish I could come up with a way to get my status recognized before the current king dies.

The moment my head started to ache again because of the problem that I couldn’t see a clear answer to yet.

“By the way, it’s good to be back in my home country after all. I even get to meet amazing students like you. In fact, young and enlightened students like you are the main players who will be responsible for the future. People like me are laying the groundwork for you to move forward.”

“…That’s too much praise. My face is starting to burn.”

“No, I’m serious. When I was in Prussia or England, I didn’t see any students of your age with this level of insight. Well, there were rumors of smallpox outbreaks in Prussia, and I didn’t have the time to look around in detail when I was distracted.”

The story Rousseau said at the end.

I was momentarily shocked as if the top of my head had been pierced by that insignificant remark.

The shock soon turned into a huge realization and crashed into my head like a tsunami.

That’s right. Why couldn’t I think of such a simple method?

The reason why Louis XV dies seven years later is none other than because he contracted the smallpox that Rousseau mentioned.

Perhaps because of the advantage of knowing the future, I was alone in assuming that it was an unchangeable fate.

When you are fixated on one thing, you sometimes overlook such obvious facts.

Louis XV dies in seven years and the king is replaced, so time is running out?

Then the solution is obvious, isn’t it?

Just don’t let him die.