Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Joseph continued to review the documents regarding the Paris High Court's verdict on Lavoisier and finally breathed a sigh of relief—15 years of imprisonment, without the immediate death sentence typically favored by the Jacobins.

Indeed, Lavoisier's crimes did not meet the standards for beheading. During the Reign of Terror in France, he was unlucky enough to lose his life simply because there were only verdicts of "innocence" or "death."

Joseph weighed his options with difficulty. Lavoisier could not afford to be imprisoned now, as both the Soda Ash factory and Coal Tar refinery were still relying on him to oversee the operations. If he were to be jailed, these projects would have to halt.

It seemed that special bail was the only option. Joseph then looked at the amount of the fine imposed by the Court, a staggering 1.6 million francs.

He immediately frowned, realizing that after the fine was paid, Lavoisier likely wouldn't have enough left for the bail. In such a case, he would have no choice but to ask his father for a royal pardon.

Why would such a prominent scholar, already possessing wealth over a million, still greedily aim for a little more?

Just then, Eman spoke softly from outside the door, "Your Highness, Baron Breti requests an audience."

"Please, let him in."

The Justice Minister entered, followed by a middle-aged man wearing spectacles.

After formal greetings, Baron Breti gestured towards the newcomer, introducing him to Joseph, "Your Highness, this is Joseph-Ignace Guillotin of the Paris Judicial Inspection Office.

"In fact, he has always been committed to increasing the efficiency of executions and, after tireless efforts, has finally invented this new type of guillotine."

Upon hearing this, Guillotin eagerly stepped forward, opened the case he brought with him, and took out a detailed guillotine model. Smiling, he ardently explained to Joseph, "Your Highness, our current methods of capital punishment are very troublesome, inefficient, and cause great suffering to the criminals. Moreover, the salaries of the executioners are extremely high, almost close to that of municipal commissioners.

"So, I found a German craftsman experienced in this area and together we invented this guillotine.

"Oh, Louvre Square has been carrying out a significant number of executions these days, and could really make use of this new device. It could increase execution efficiency by several times.

"Please let me demonstrate how it works for you."

Joseph looked at the model of the guillotine on the table, with its "door"-shaped frame and a sharp blade hanging in the middle. He reflected on the stubborn inertia of history—this inevitable moment had arrived.

However, he remembered that historically, Guillotin presented this invention to Louis XVI, and he was surprised that in this life, it had come to him instead.

This was understandable, though, as after all Baron Breti was someone he had supported into position, and the entire judicial system was under his administration. It only made sense for a revolutionary invention within the judiciary to be presented to him first.

Indeed, in an era where executions relied on an executioner and a simple blade, an entirely automatic guillotine would be the equivalent to the invention of high-precision CNC machines in the future—an epoch-making advancement in technology. It was necessary to present this achievement to the "big boss."

Guillotin had already skillfully lifted the blade on the model and placed a cucumber in the stock, simulating a human head.

Then he pulled the lever on the model, and the blade came crashing down with a "thunk" onto the cucumber.

Unfortunately, the blade stuck two-thirds of the way into the cucumber and failed to slice through it.

Guillotin wiped sweat from his brow and hurriedly lifted the blade, smiling apologetically at Joseph, "Your Highness, just a little accident, please give me another chance..."

Joseph glanced at the flat blade and wasn't surprised to see it get stuck—it clearly was an unimproved version.

He was about to suggest the classic angled blade improvement, to complete the "Reign of Terror style guillotine," but suddenly he paused.

It was better to leave the opportunity to his father. After all, it was his patent, and it also gave his father a sense of involvement in the governance of the country—an opportunity he seldom had, and Joseph decided not to compete for it.

So he said to Guillotin, "His Majesty the King has a profound study of mechanical equipment; perhaps he can offer some valuable advice for your machine."

Over an hour later,

Louis XVI, pondering over the guillotine model and stroking his chin thoughtfully, suddenly grabbed paper and pen and began to write and sketch.

After several amendments, a blueprint for an angled guillotine blade emerged before Guillotin.

The latter was immediately overcome with a look of shock and proceeded to praise and flatter the King.

It wasn't mere flattery, though; he genuinely admired the King's ingenuity.

It was as if a leading expert in modern high-precision CNC machines, seeing one for the first time, directly revised it into a new generation model.

One had to admit, it was impressive.

Guillotin also received a sponsorship of 50,000 francs from Louis XVI to manufacture a few prototype models of the improved guillotine.

Baron Breti immediately declared that the prototypes could be tested in Louvre Square.

After the jubilant Justice Minister and Guillotin left, Louis XVI started to chat with his son, whom he hadn't seen for days: "I've heard that recently you've arrested many corrupt Tax Farmers?"

"Yes, Father," replied Joseph, somewhat surprised that his father, who mostly spent his days in the workshops, was still aware of current affairs, "These individuals have committed egregious acts, severely endangering the social stability of France. One can judge the extent of their wrongdoings by the sheer excitement of the crowd watching their executions."

He had assumed that Louis XVI was going to plead for the major Tax Farmers, as the King was known for his soft heart and would likely struggle to refuse if they managed to appeal to him.

However, Louis XVI firmly patted him on the shoulder and proudly said, "My Joseph has grown up. You've spearheaded tax reform and dealt with the nefarious Tax Farmers, truly contributing greatly to the nation and its people. I would wager that there's no Prince in all of Europe more excellent than you, and I am truly proud of you!"
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Though not adept at dealing with government affairs and inclined towards leisure, it did not mean he was unintelligent. On the contrary, he was very smart, and he could see at a glance whether his son's actions were beneficial to the country.

He thought for a moment, then added, "Well, the improvements I made to the guillotine can help you deal with these villains more effectively. Therefore, I've also played a part in this tax reform affair."

Joseph quickly smiled and said, "Indeed, your invention is of great significance."

He thought to himself that it might not have as significant an impact as it did in history.

The same could be said of the guillotine. Its introduction significantly increased the efficiency of capital punishment, leading to more people losing their lives.

As an executioner, Charles could originally execute at most twelve to thirteen people in a day, but after the guillotine's appearance, the number of executions soared to the hundreds.