Chapter 831: Chapter 739: Queen Mary’s Struggle

Queen Mary suddenly picked up her handkerchief, wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and stood up:

“You’re right. Joseph will solve all the problems, and everything will get better.”

She then took her husband’s hand and said earnestly:

“But we can’t just watch him bear the heavy burden alone; we must do whatever we can to help him!”

Louis XVI nodded deeply in agreement and said, “Exactly. That’s why I’ve been working late into the night at the arsenal recently.”

Queen Mary was momentarily stunned.

She realized that even the King was exhausting himself for the impending war, while it seemed she hadn’t made any contributions…

Her mind raced. What could she do?

For example, donating some jewelry…

Yes, donations! She could organize a fundraising banquet to rally the nobility of the Palace of Versailles to raise money for the army!

What else could be done?

As she was lost in thought, Prince Charles pushed open the door and entered.

In the world of children, there is no diplomacy or war. He saluted his parents, then clung to Queen Mary’s hand and asked, “Mother, will Grand Duchess Alexandra come to Paris again? I asked Mr. Greuze, and he said she hasn’t scheduled any further painting lessons…”

The little boy didn’t have many friends in the Royal Palace. Lately, no one had played with him, and practicing swordsmanship today reminded him of Alexandra.

Upon hearing this, Queen Mary’s eyes immediately lit up.

Alexandra? Of course–how had she forgotten her?

She was Joseph’s beloved princess.

Since Joseph was busy with affairs of state, as his mother she should help him handle his marriage.

This could be considered a significant contribution to France!

She instantly picked up Charles and kissed him on the cheek:

“You truly are my little angel!”

“Oh, Alexandra will come to Paris, and she’ll stay for a very, very long time. Russia was at war before, which probably delayed her, but things are calm there now–I’ll send someone to bring her here.”

Charles immediately beamed with joy, threw his arms around his mother’s neck, and exclaimed happily, “Wonderful! Sasha is coming back!”

After their youngest son was escorted away by his tutor, Queen Mary turned to Louis XVI and said, “Your Majesty, do you think when Joseph returns triumphant and sees his Sasha, he’ll be extremely surprised?”

The King smiled bashfully and nodded, “He’ll surely be more joyful than he would even after securing a great victory.”

Eager to contribute to her country, Queen Mary didn’t delay. That very afternoon, she summoned Count Stroganov, Russia’s Ambassador to France, and expressed her intention of arranging a marriage with the Russian princess.

The count immediately gave a solemn assurance that he would report the matter to Saint Petersburg as swiftly as possible. He also informally suggested that the Tsar would likely welcome such a union.

After Count Stroganov departed, Queen Mary, brimming with a sense of accomplishment, threw herself into the preparation of the fundraising banquet, working tirelessly for three days.

That evening, the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles was bustling with activity, as Parisian nobles of status gathered in droves.

Accompanied by the music played by the Royal Band, Minister of Agriculture Venio first ascended the wooden podium on the northern side, raised his hand to signal for silence, and then spoke loudly: “On behalf of the esteemed Queen, I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for attending this evening’s banquet.”

As the people in the grand hall bowed toward the Queen and then turned their attention back to him, Venio’s expression grew solemn, his tone charged with passion: “As you likely already know, England, along with their vile allies, has shamelessly torn apart trade agreements, like thieves attempting to seize our sugar industry, and is assembling troops to invade our nation!”

These statements were crafted based on a narrative established by Joseph, who delegated the task to the Bureau of Publications to have renowned authors compose the specific propaganda pieces.

This rhetoric would soon serve as the foundation for France’s prewar communications.

A group of journalists standing in the corner of the hall immediately recorded Venio’s speech verbatim.

Venio, known in history as a famous orator, exuded a magnetic fervor: “The savage and despicable British robbed us of our overseas colonies through the Seven Years’ War, used deceit and cruelty to ruin many of our industries, and drove once-prosperous France into decline!

“It is their shameless actions that drained France’s wealth and made life increasingly miserable for our people. People have frozen to death and starved to death, while they have exploited our colonies in North America and the Far East to accumulate wealth, flaunting it to the entire world.

“It is the British schemes that cost France a full 30 years!

“Thirty years filled with pain and humiliation!

“But thanks to Jesus’ mercy on France and the leadership of our great King and Crown Prince, we have persevered past our hardships, regained order and prosperity, and seen the resurgence of the once-mighty France.

“Yet the treacherous British, along with their barbaric Prussian allies and the duplicity-prone Austrians, cannot bear to see us rise from suffering and weakness!

“Once again, they plan a heinous invasion to force us into another 30 years of despair–to keep us eternally frail, forever at their mercy and mocked by their disdain!

“You–you who have endured those lost 30 years–will you permit such a fate?!”

Everyone present instantly felt their chests burn with fury, their eyes reddening as they shouted in unison, “Never!”

Venio nodded vigorously: “France shall endure because of you!”

He then shifted into a stirring recount of centuries-long animosities between England, France, and Austria–the material readily available since war had scarcely ceased over the past hundreds of years, and the blood grudges were numerous enough to detail for months.

Finally, Venio turned to Queen Mary and bowed deeply: “Tonight, the Queen has convened us here to stand united against the wicked enemy’s invasion and to defend our nation!”

Amid jubilant cheers, Queen Mary ascended the podium, her demeanor proud and solemn: “Let us join hands, contributing our strength to ensure that anyone who dares oppose France pays the price they deserve!”

Countess of Debreninac immediately declared, “The individual who donates the most tonight will receive an invitation from Her Majesty to dine with the Royal Family.”

A noble in the crowd swiftly raised his hand and shouted, “I’ll donate five thousand francs!”

A disdainful snort came from behind him as an invited factory owner adjusted his collar and raised his hand, saying, “I’m willing to contribute twenty thousand francs to purchase cannons for the army.”

“How can we let such low-life individuals outshine us?” a noble muttered disdainfully, raising his hand. “The Kolbos Family donates thirty thousand francs.”