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The several other newspapers conveyed more or less the same message, essentially beating around the bush and attacking the tax law with all kinds of absurd reasons.

Joseph couldn’t help but think of those unscrupulous self-media of later generations—you talk reason to them, they talk history. You talk history to them, they get sentimental.

Anyway, all sorts of twisted logic were thrown around, simply avoiding a direct and straightforward discussion of the issue itself.

He looked for a long while but found only one paper, “Paris News,” that continued to publish an analysis of the tax law.

When he turned to the author’s name, he saw it was signed “Jean-Paul Marat.”

Joseph couldn’t help but chuckle. If this Marat was the same figure as one of the core leaders of the Jacobins during the great Reign of Terror period, this was a perfect irony.

The only voice for the Royal Family’s tax law turned out to be the future Jacobin leader, the most ruthless and relentless opponent of the Royal Family.

By the time Joseph had roughly flipped through the newspapers on the table, his face was as dark as water.

Overnight, articles introducing the tax law had disappeared, and the entire press was strikingly unified, starting to viciously attack the tax laws.

Someone must be pulling the strings behind this.

Overtly opposing the Royal Family.

Arrogant, utterly arrogant!

Joseph glared at those newspapers, his fists clenched tightly. It was just some news agencies, after all. Since they dared to be so troublesome, let them taste whether the royal hammer was hard enough!

He was so focused on the tax law that he didn’t notice the article tucked away in the corner of “The Citizen’s Daily”—seemingly an introduction to the lives of the nobles at the Palace of Versailles, but subtly hinting that a “Duke of Schwarz from Prussia” might be Queen Mary’s lover.

In Joseph’s hands, these newspapers with larger circulations were still relatively reserved. On some of the smaller papers, there were already numerous articles published insinuating scandals about Queen Mary or Princess Therese and their “Prussian lovers.”

And pamphlets with more explicit descriptions were increasingly appearing in the streets and alleys of Paris.

The so-called “pamphlets” were a very unique kind of publication that were mostly circulated in secret to avoid regulation.

These pamphlets, of low print quality and cheap price, focused on “the three vulgarities” and thus had a very wide audience, selling much more than newspapers.

Joseph had intended to go directly to discuss with Robel how to deal with the wicked press, but by the time he returned to the Palace of Versailles it was already past nine in the evening, so he had to suppress his anger for now and wait until tomorrow.

…

At the office of “Paris News,” a middle-aged man with disheveled hair and deep nasolabial folds hurried into the editor-in-chief’s room with just-printed proofs in his hand: “Mr. Darmanin, why wasn’t my article analyzing the relationship between the tax laws and the people published?”

The editor-in-chief, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, looked up with an apologetic smile: “Mr. Mara, it’s the demand of the Press Association. They say that disclosing too much of the law could subject the court to too much external interference.”

Mara protested loudly, “But it’s the taxes French people have to pay; the people have the right to know the details!”

The editor spread his hands: “I’m sorry, I really can’t help it. I must adhere to the rules of the Press Association.”

After arguing his point for a while and seeing that the editor was resolute, Mara left in anger: “Goodbye, Mr. Darmanin. There will surely be newspapers willing to publish my article!”

The editor looked after him helplessly and shook his head, “That’s not going to happen…”

The next day.

After a simple breakfast, Joseph set off for the office of the head of the Secret Police.

No sooner had he arrived at the entrance when he heard the angry voice of a young girl emanating from inside, “These vile, disgusting, low-life scum! How could they concoct such shameless lies?!”

Seeing the Crown Prince arrive, the guard at the door promptly bowed and pushed open the grand doors for him.

Joseph entered the office to find a young lady slightly older than himself, hands on hips, glaring furiously at Count Robel.

The girl was not tall, dressed in a white, wide-skirted dress, with a hint of baby fat on her face, skin delicate and porcelain-like, and a pair of eyes as clear and bright as sapphires.

A name immediately sprung to Joseph’s mind—Marie Therese. Louis XVI’s eldest daughter, the Princess of France, his own dear sister.

Joseph remembered she had been unwell and was convalescing in the more suitable environment of Meudon Castle; how had she suddenly returned to the Palace of Versailles?

Hearing footsteps, Therese turned around, and upon seeing Joseph, she quickly curtsied before breaking into a warm smile, “Joseph, my dear brother, it’s so wonderful to see you. Has it been three months since we last met?”

Joseph placed a hand on his chest in a gesture of respect, “It has been a long while, dear sister. Why have you returned, and how is your health?”

“How could I not come back?” Therese said as her face set into a scowl again, “It’s all because of those detestable rumors that torment me every single moment!”

“Rumors?” Joseph looked at Robel in surprise.

“Those tabloids like the Paris Post, The Spectator, and such. And pamphlets.”

Seeing Joseph shake his head, Robel pulled out two newspapers from the desk, flipped to a particular section, and, after a cautious glance at Therese, handed them to Joseph.

Joseph quickly skimmed the papers and his brow furrowed immediately.

Several articles hinted or insinuated that recently a Prussian noble had arrived in Paris, and was having an improper relationship with the Queen and the Princess. One even mentioned that he had been involved with a brown-skinned female slave.

Therese said angrily, “Since the afternoon before last, these shameful publications have been appearing in the newspapers! I had no choice but to rush back.”

She looked at the head of the Secret Police again, “Count Robel, as you heard from Her Majesty the Queen just now, we must severely punish the rumor-mongers!”

So she had already gone to Queen Mary to complain.

Robel immediately nodded, “Yes, Your Highness. In fact, I had already dispatched people to deal with it yesterday.”

“Oh? Did you shut down those newspapers?”

Robel hurriedly said, “No, Your Highness, that’s certainly not possible.

“However, we confiscated the printing plates of a few newspapers like the Paris Post and fined them heavily. Oh, and we arrested the editor of The Joyful One; he is currently being questioned.”

Therese was far from satisfied, “They insult the Royal Family, and they only receive such a light punishment?”

The head of the Secret Police seemed quite helpless, “Your Highness, the truth is, there are no words that directly insult the Royal Family in their text.

“I know, the content is full of innuendos that can easily be misunderstood, but the court will definitely not rule the newspapers at fault for this.”