I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 131: A Thorough Investigation of the French Guards

Marat put down his pen and looked up at Desmoulins. "Camille, you know, rumors about those despicable officers usually understate their misdeeds rather than falsely accuse them. Besides, I only wrote 'possibly' and 'there are signs that suggest,' so the officers won't be convicted based on this alone. The gendarmes will conduct a thorough investigation, and if they find solid evidence, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

He continued writing the report. "What I regret the most is that the Public Inquiry Office doesn't have the resources to investigate those scoundrels in the army."

Indeed, after learning that the gendarmes would be in charge of investigating the French Guards, Joseph quickly took steps to respond. He first had Fouché pass on some dirt about certain officers in the French Guards to Marat. Much of this information came from investigating the artillery strike on the farmhouse, which they had heard from an officer named Tyrrell.

Given Marat's character, he couldn't tolerate the wickedness of these officers, so he began his own investigation. Through his network of journalists, he dug up even more dirt on the officers—helped, of course, by the fact that corruption and violence were rampant in the old army. Just a little digging unearthed plenty of scandals.

Joseph then had someone "accidentally" inform Marat that the Justice Minister and the gendarmes were conducting a large-scale investigation into the officers, and they might need some leads.

Marat was more than happy to provide the information he had gathered to the Justice Minister.

Back at the French Guards' camp, the gendarmerie was forced to reopen investigations into officers who had already been cleared. With the Justice Minister and the Queen's second-in-command watching over the process, they couldn't openly cover for anyone, so within three days, they started uncovering some troubling leads from the reports.

The gendarmes had no choice but to allocate more resources and manpower to a broader investigation.

As a result, even after nearly half a month, the investigation into the first batch of nine officers was still incomplete. And the French Guards had over two hundred senior officers and another seven or eight hundred junior officers. All of these men were now confined to the camp, anxiously awaiting their turn for scrutiny. But the more anxious they were, the slower the investigation seemed to move.

The feeling of having a sword hanging over their heads but never knowing when it would drop was sheer torture.

Previously, these officers had at least eight hours of free time each day, during which they could go to Paris to enjoy themselves. Now, stuck in the camp with nothing but the rough mess hall food, they felt as if they were in prison.

Before long, rumors started spreading within the camp. Word got out that the Queen, angry over the Prince's attack, planned to exile all the officers of the French Guards.

Of course, this rumor was also spread by Joseph's agents.

The officers, already on edge, had lost their ability to calmly distinguish truth from falsehood. Almost no one questioned the rumors, and they only grew more exaggerated with each retelling.

As a result, the officers began using all their connections to find a way out, mobilizing nearly half of the military aristocracy.

Even the Duke of Orléans, having heard of the situation within the camp, had to approach the War Minister, the Marquis de Saint-Priest, once again, offering to increase the "operational funds" to ensure the officers' safety—these officers were his key supporters within the army.

This time, however, the Marquis de Saint-Priest did not dare accept this windfall, as he found himself utterly powerless in the situation.

In recent days, many influential military aristocrats had approached him or sent letters, urging him to resolve the situation with the French Guards quickly. If it were a less publicized case, he might have quietly manipulated the process. But the situation with the French Guards was reported daily to the Queen, and somehow, journalists had gotten hold of the reports against the officers. The newspapers were filled with stories about the investigation into the officers.

With so many eyes watching, even if he wanted to intervene, he couldn't find any opportunity to do so...

That night, in a villa belonging to an officer in the southern suburbs of Paris, the Marquis de Saint-Priest and several high-ranking gendarmes were racking their brains for a solution when one of General Astou's aides knocked urgently at the door and whispered something in his ear.

General Astou looked shocked. "Really?!"

The aide grimaced and handed him a newspaper. "General, it's already in the papers. It's said that the Justice Minister has received evidence as well."

Saint-Priest and the others quickly asked, "General Astou, what's happened?"

Astou's face darkened. "Last month, a farmhouse in the southern suburbs of Paris was bombarded, killing two people. Have you heard of it?"

The others nodded.

Astou gestured to the newspaper. "There's news that it was done by the French Guards, who then framed the Paris Police Academy. It seems the Justice Minister has received evidence."

The next morning, over a hundred protesters gathered outside the French Guards' camp, demanding the harsh punishment of those responsible for killing the Axel couple. This was only because the camp was far from the city center; otherwise, there would have been even more protesters.

The artillery incident had caused quite a stir at the time, but Joseph's clever crisis management had diffused it. Now, the tables had turned on the French Guards, who had no way to manage the situation.

Based on the information they had received, Breteuil had the gendarmes locate the cannon responsible for the Axel incident and arrested all the gunners involved.

Under intense interrogation, the nervous gunners quickly confessed, implicating their commanding officer, Major Theodor, the second in command of the French Guards' artillery battalion.

When the news spread, it shook all of Paris. People took to the streets, demanding that Theodor and the others be hanged for their crimes.

At the same time, many people gathered outside the Paris Police Academy to apologize for having wrongfully accused them earlier.

The Paris Police Department's efforts to help the Axel family rebuild their home and the thousands of livres they provided in aid became widely praised. The department's reputation soared.

For a time, the Paris police became the epitome of "caring for the poor" in people's eyes. Even when patrolling, their heads were held higher than usual.

That day, over five hundred young men came to the Police Academy to enroll. Chief Instructor Friend had to temporarily close admissions.

...

At Versailles Palace, Berthier nervously glanced towards the Prince's chambers, fidgeting with his uniform. Although he hadn't yet officially taken office, he was already a colonel in the French Guards. He couldn't help but wonder if the Prince would hold him accountable for the guards' failure to protect him during the attack.

(End of Chapter)

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